NJPSA Announces Visionary Leadership Award Recipients

The New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2015-2016 Visionary Leadership Awards.

Denise King, principal of B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, was named Visionary Leader of the Year, Elementary Level Principal; Lenore Kingsmore, principal of Henry Hudson Regional School in Highlands, was named Visionary Leader of the Year, Secondary Level Principal; Allison Staffin, assistant principal of Cherry Hill High School West, was named Visionary Leader of the Year, Secondary Level Assistant Principal; and Timothy Craig, director of Fine and Performing Arts and Business Education, was named Visionary Leader of the Year, Supervisor/Director. Each will receive his/her award at the NJPSA Fall Conference at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, NJ in October.

Dr, King has served as an advocate for nurturing and sustaining a culture conducive to developing the intellectual, creative and social potential for each learner at B. Bernice Young Elementary School. Dr. King is a true advocate for the underrepresented student and uses data-driven instruction to keep student achievement at the forefront of her agenda. She introduced “Fundations” in all kindergarten classrooms for phonics and phonemic awareness and provided a guided reading approach to literacy instruction within a differentiated classroom environment.

Dr. King also ensures a safe and secure environment for her students and was integral in the execution of a safety and security initiative called Project Guardian.

As the principal at Henry Hudson Regional School, Lenore Kingsmore has worked collaboratively with students, staff, and parents to improve the climate and culture, as well as advanced placement scores, in her school. She also created a school-within-a-school for her middle school students, which has resulted in improved standardized test scores, attendance, and discipline. Last year, she introduced, into the self-contained middle school, a therapy dog who assists students who are having a difficult time emotionally or just need stress reduction. This has proven to be a very positive initiative for the entire school community.

Allison Staffin serves as the assistant principal of Cherry Hill High School West. She is also the Title I coordinator, promoting the achievements of students deemed at-promise for improved performance on high stakes tests in math and English and encouraging parental and community involvement. She has created cross-content professional learning communities and mandatory peer observation protocols for collaboration, allowing staff to explore the commonalities between practices and the ability to instruct students using a common vocabulary.

Tim Craig, Director of Fine and Performing Arts and Business Education for the Bayonne Public Schools, creates, builds, and develops meaningful arts educational opportunities for his students. He finds creative and cost-effective ways to ensure that the students of Bayonne have equitable access to learning opportunities in dance, music, theater, and the visual arts, regardless of economic status. He developed the Academy for Fine Arts and Academics to provide career track options for students in STEM, the Humanities, and the Fine and Performing Arts.

In addition to these awards, Dr. King is the New Jersey recipient of the NAESP National Distinguished Principal Award, and Ms. Kingsmore is the New Jersey recipient of the NASSP/MetLife Principal of the Year Award.

NJPSA congratulates each of the 2016 Visionary Award Winners and proudly announces that each of the award winners will receive $7,000 for their school, as well as a personal check for $1,000.